Navy Reserve Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan Lemus is flanked by Cmdr. Dan Burns and Perris Assistant City Manager Ron Carr. Perris received a Patriotic Employer Award for supporting Lemus in his military mission, which included a deployment to Iraq in 2008.

Perris was honored recently by the U.S. military for supporting
Public Works employee Juan Lemus, a Navy reservist who has been
deployed in recent years to Iraq, Okinawa and Germany.

Employers who “work around the schedules of our citizen
warriors” make possible the U.S. military commitments in
Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and elsewhere, said Patrick
Kuykendall, the California executive director of Employer Support
of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense agency.

“It is a tough job for employers,” Kuykendall said. “But what
your employees are doing is remarkable. You are getting the best of
the best.”

Navy Cmdr. Dan Burns said the repeated deployments of units
since 2001 have taken their toll on active-duty service
members.

Reservists like Lemus are filling vital jobs once assigned only
to full-time active-duty soldiers, like driving trucks, performing
customs checks, providing base perimeter security and building
roads and schools.

“Without employers allowing reservists and members of the
National Guard to participate and fulfill their military
commitments, there is no way the active-duty service could
accomplish all that needs to be done,” Burns said.

In accepting the Navy Reserve Employer Appreciation Award, the
city received a plaque and certificate for its efforts as a
Patriotic Employer.